Alcaraz, Djokovic Headline Six-Way Battle For World No. 1

Carlos Alcaraz has a big opportunity to reclaim World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings ahead of Roland Garros.

The Spaniard is chasing Novak Djokovic, the all-time leader in weeks at No. 1, who is not competing this week at the Mutua Madrid Open. They have already traded the top spot three times this season.

If Alcaraz successfully defends his Madrid title he is guaranteed to pass Djokovic for World No. 1 on 22 May just by playing his first match at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, regardless of how Djokovic performs there.

This scenario can also be reversed. If Alcaraz wins Rome after playing at least one match in Madrid, he would return to the top on 22 May. He needs to combine for more than 1,005 points between Madrid and Rome to guarantee his return to World No. 1.

Djokovic is dropping 360 points in Madrid and another 1,000 in Rome, where he is set to defend his title. Alcaraz is just defending 1,000 points in Madrid. So when you remove their points from both Madrid and Rome, Djokovic leads Alcaraz by only five points. Alcaraz can also reclaim World No. 1 by reaching the final in both Madrid and Rome.

Pepperstone ATP Rankings w/Points Dropping By 22 May

But Djokovic and Alcaraz are not the only players in the battle for World No. 1. With 2,000 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points up for grabs over the next four weeks, four other players, led by Daniil Medvedev, have a chance at World No. 1.

Medvedev did not compete at the Mutua Madrid Open or the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last year due to injury and therefore is not defending any points at those events. Therefore, when removing players’ points earned by 22 May, the date of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings the Monday after Rome, Medvedev is just 535 points behind Djokovic and 530 points behind Alcaraz.

The former World No. 1 has made clear on several occasions how little he enjoys clay, but he is still in the thick of the battle. And if Medvedev is unable to make a move now, the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which he leads by 655 points over Djokovic and 800 points over Alcaraz, shows that he will have opportunities as the year goes on.

Former Roland Garros finalists Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas as well as recent Monte-Carlo winner Andrey Rublev can give themselves a chance to reach World No. 1 on 22 May if they enjoy big results over the next two tournaments.

Ruud would need to win Madrid or Rome and advance to at least the semi-finals of the other to have a chance. Tsitsipas needs to win one of the tournaments and reach the final at the other to put the pressure on Djokovic and Alcaraz, and Rublev would need to complete a clay-court Masters 1000 sweep by lifting the trophy in Madrid and Rome to force Djokovic or Alcaraz to earn enough points to pass him.